AESTHETIC, LUXURY AND HUMORISM: HOTEL LA MAISON DES CHAMPSELYSÉES, MARTIN MARGIELA

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1 Projects, suggestions and dreams from the world of hospitality AESTHETIC, LUXURY AND HUMORISM: HOTEL LA MAISON DES CHAMPSELYSÉES, MARTIN MARGIELA

2 MDB ( HOTEL ( MARCH 18, 2015 ( As witness the façade which has been restored to all its former glory and the First Empire eagle that guards the great staircase, the renovation of the Maison des Centraliens has been done with all due respect for the heritage of the Ecole Centrale and the mansion s architecture. Emblematic of the place, the Second Empire reception rooms of the Hôtel d Essling, on the 2nd floor, have been restored just as they were, the moulding re-gilded with gold leaf by skilled craftsmen. In the basement, 450m2 of reception rooms have been renovated and brought up to technological standard so they are now work spaces that meet all today s expectations, with WiFi and LED lights embedded in the ceilings. As the renovation of the façade, the roof repairs and the compliance with safety and handicapped access standards also show, the partners have taken the long view. The building that Centraliens and visitors discover today has been very thoroughly overhauled, ready to confront the 21st century. Beyond renovation, architect Danièle Damon has really restructured the building. On the ground floor the restaurant is now vast and opens onto the terrace and garden, which lead to the Impasse d Antin. The big new glass roof bathes it in peaceful light. The kitchen has been reinstalled in the basement and refitted in line will all current standards. On the first, third and fourth floors, the former Centralien premises have been vacated to build the 17 Couture guestrooms and suites, their design entrusted to Maison Martin Margiela on the basis of a competitive tender.

3 They will help to make the Maison a centre of attraction and give it a reputation for daring. The 5th and 6th floors have been fitted out to accommodate the Ecole Centrale alumni association. THREE QUESTIONS TO Maison Martin Margiela What has motivated Maison Martin Margiela to tackle interior architecture on such a large scale? MMM: The Maison des Centraliens and Maison Champs-Élysées project is the most ambitious ever entrusted to Maison Martin Margiela and is in a prestigious location that affords it a high profile. This is a logical continuation of our interior design office s work, following on from the Elle Décoration suite in the Palais de Chaillot in But it is also a challenge, as it means making different aspects cohabit day and night, private and public and expressing ourselves within the tight limits set by the aesthetics of a 19th-century Haussmann townhouse and the safety restrictions of a place open to the public. From fashion to interior design: what are the invariants of Maison Martin Margiela? MMM: Maison Martin Margiela s identity expresses itself in parallel, and in the same place, through its fashion collections and interior design work. In the Paris headquarters and the shops worldwide you see the white cotton covers, the trompe l oeil, the subversion of objects and materials, the mixing of styles and eras, the play on aesthetic language and the humour that s a permanent feature. Clothing, objects and interior design all communicate the same aesthetic values: an unfinished finish and a sense of detail, surrealism and lowbrow culture, oversizing and 2D projection, imaginatively recycled materials. What style of clientele did you think of when designing the decors for the Maison des Centraliens and what experience are you trying to create? MMM: We are thinking of a modern international clientele able to appreciate a pleasant, elegant offbeat attitude. This is the world of a relatively democratic luxury offering greater freedom than the top luxury hotels; a luxury that is also, and essentially, defined by its sophisticated quality, irony and focus on detail. It s the style our customer base appreciates all over the world.

4 We would like guests and diners to enjoy the generosity of our creative offering matching the generous hospitality of this very special hotel. An experience that will induce them to come back. The artistic approach of Maison Martin Margiela The aim of the game Maison Martin Margiela wishes to offer a surprising poetic experience, one that cannot be exhausted in a single visit or a single stay. An experience of freedom, a journey within a journey, to be found nowhere else. The rules of the game They are based on an offbeat take of standards, as symbolised at the outset by the paving in the reception hall, where black marble cabochons take liberties with the rule that says they must be placed at the corners of the white flagstones. Irony Irony in the literal sense of the word, meaning the deliberate play on what is said as opposed to what is meant, letter as opposed to spirit, appearance as opposed to reality. The cabochons in the French-style paving are indeed there, but not in their rightful place. In the White Lounge, the spotlight rails illuminate only the traces of old picture frames but these are painted onto new walls. In the guestrooms, the traditional Persian rugs are in fact patterns woven into the carpets. In the suites, the 19th-century mouldings are randomly interrupted. Playing with the vestiges of time in a new setting; a supremely dandified refinement suggestive of Beau Brummell who, it is said, had his clothes worn by his valet before donning them himself. Illusion In the restaurant, the chairs and tables seem to be suspended a few centimetres above the floor but fear not, they are stable and comfortable. Trompe l oeil reproduces the mouldings in the Empire reception rooms on the landings leading to them; lighting effects create the illusion that a closed door is open, allowing sunlight to filter in. In fact everything helps to create a theatrical world imbued with the magic of a show in which we are, if not actors, at least willing accomplices Respect Respect for the building and the constraints of its heritage: walls or ceilings are

5 not concealed unless for technical reasons. Maison Martin Margiela has not covered the mouldings or marble in the foyer to plaster one style over another. On the contrary, the intention was to further enhance the historic features of the place by dramatising them. Respect for the demands of comfort too, as demonstrated by the care taken with lighting, particularly in the bedrooms, and acoustics, especially in the restaurant. And, of course, respect for the project s inherent safety imperatives. The most relevant design suppliers: Cerruti Baleri, Flos, Thonet, Vitra, Gallotti & Radice, Moooi, Cini & Nils, Artemide, Muuto. Photos by Martine Houghton, Laurianne Folinais MOE TAGS CLASSIC HOTEL ( CONTEMPORARY HOTEL ( /TAG/CONTEMPORARY-HOTEL/) DESIGN HOTEL ( LUXURY HOTEL ( MARTIN MARGIELA ( ( MDB ( /MATTEO/)